Mari's Cat
by ElizabeththeLast
Summary: When Cat Noir finds a stray cat in an alleyway, the person he thinks of being most suitable to take care of the cat is Marinette. And so he takes the cat to her and a new form of bonding between the two people begins.
1. Chapter 1

Adrien was running home along the rooftops. Well, truly, he was Cat Noir, since in the battle that had ended only moments ago, he had not used his power and was therefore not in danger of changing back soon. He was, however, in no hurry to get home. His schedule was clear for the rest of the day, and he had no care to sit in his large room hopelessly alone for hours on end. But what else was there for him to do?

Suddenly, he heard a soft mewl from below. Stopping sharply, so that he almost fell off the edge of the roof he was standing on, he turned on his heel and crept back to alleyway he had just leaped over, only seconds ago. As he peaked over the edge of the building, his face lit up in delight. For there, directly below him and staring straight up with the most irked expression, was a cat.

Cat Noir leaped ecstatically down from the building, right to the side of the cat. The cat, seeming to find this feat of athleticism completely ordinary, did not blink an eye. And this was one of the most interesting parts of the cat for, though it's fur could only be assumed to be completely white under the layers of grime, two perfectly stunning eyes shone out; one blue, and one orange. The cat had turned his head to stare straight at the oddly clothed human, and it meowed again. The superhero himself was beaming from ear to ear.

Quite immediately, he reached out a hand to stroke the cat's fur. The cat permitted it, and as Cat Noir pet the creature, he began to speak out loud.

"Oh you lovely thing! You are absolutely purr-fect!" he laughed a little to himself at his pun, but much like everyone he ever spoke puns to, the cat was unamused. "I don't see a collar or a tag… And you _are_ quite dirty. I doubt an owner wouldn't keep such a fine cat like you clean. And you are a bit on the skinny side… What about it kitty? Do you have a home?"

After a couple moments of a silent staring contest, the cat blinked and looked nonchalantly off to the side. "I knew it! What's a darling cat like you doing without a home? Oh! I know! I'll adopt you!"

That cat looked at the Cat Noir with an expression that was basically a shrug, in and of itself. The expression, however, turned more and more peeved as the black-clad superhero spent more and more time forgetting to pick up again on his important task of petting the cat. Eventually, Cat Noir started petting the creature once again, who then settled quite peacefully onto the pavement and stared at the boy as he went on talking. "No. That would never work. My father would never allow me to have a pet, especially if I brought in home from nowhere, out of the blue! I guess I could hide you… But no, that wouldn't work either. My schedule's so full, and I don't think I have enough money or time of my own to toss a cat into the mix as well. Plus, I think you're one of those cats that will absolutely do what it wants, and therefore you'll be a handful."

The cat and the superhero sat in a peaceful silence for a bit longer as the teenager thought to himself. Suddenly, he spoke out into the empty air again. "So who do you think would be good at taking care of a cat? I can't very well leave you here all alone. You deserve a caring home. So who do I know? Chloe? Oh, no, she would be horrible at taking care of another living being. No offense to her of course, but she's a little self absorbed and also easily angry. To become a good owner, she would have to start out with something simple. Like a fish. So who else; maybe Nino? I really don't know about him though. He seems to have a decently full life, as is. He also doesn't seem like a cat person. His perfect pet would be more like… I don't know, maybe a turtle? Hmm…"

There was more silent sitting, which did not bother the cat at all. Adrien himself was staring thoughtfully off to the side. He looked almost as comfortable as the cat, sitting in that alley with his legs crossed and his mind off in thoughts. Suddenly his mouth widened into an "o" shape. "I know! Marinette! She's the perfect person to take care of a cat- she's kind and caring and capable! Her parents are also really nice, so I'm sure they'd help her take care of an animal in need. And we're already acquainted, so I can bring you to her right away! What do you say cat? Do you want a home with Marinette?"

The cat glanced at him, almost in a way that looked like it had one eyebrow raised. The creature seemed to be saying, _"Why wouldn't I want to live with Marinette? Especially since it's so cold out here."_ The boy agreed with a wide smile, and stood up, carefully scooping the cat up into his arms at the same time. Surprisingly, the cat did not seem to care at this sudden change, even when Cat Noir suddenly leaped up onto the roof. And then leaped across an alley gap to another roof. And another. Frankly, the dirty white fluff ball seemed to have very little care in the world as Cat Noir leaped and raced across the top of Paris.

It was already slightly dark out, as the sun had been fading from the sky when Adrien first made his way home. But they made it to the house of Marinette in very little time at all. Cat Noir easily leaped up onto the roof, and set down the cat where it proceeded to stretch heartily, and then sit up straight, tilting it's head in Cat Noir's direction, who was leaning over the railing.

Cat Noir peeked into the larger window that was closer to Marinette's desk, and then knocked on it with his staff. Marinette, who had been sitting at her desk engrossed in something or other, proceeded to jump in startlement and then fall out of her chair. From the ground, she seemed to notice who was at her window, from the tips of his black cat ears to the corners of his smiling green eyes. She huffed and then made a gesture to indicate she would meet him on the roof.

Cat Noir proceeded to stop leaning off the side of the building, and instead went over to where the cat was sitting, still staring at him. He picked it up and then waited for Marinette to come out to the balcony.

As Marinette lifted up the hatch to enter to balcony, she started speaking, slight irritation showing at the edges of her voice. "Why Cat Noir, hero of Paris, why are you here? And… why do you have a cat?"

She was now standing on the balcony with him, a lopsided expression of confusion and distaste on her face. He began to balk. He knew less of Marinette than he did of his good friend Nino. What if she did not like cats? What if she was allergic? "Um, well, I'm on a mission to give this cat a good home, and I thought that maybe you could take care of it."

Her frown deepened. "Cat Noir, I have a pretty busy life. And I'm not sure how my parents would react to a cat…"

The superhero frowned in sadness. "Well, if you can't take it, I'll try to find another loving household." He began to jump off the roof.

"Wah- Wait! Wait! It wasn't a no… exactly. I guess I could take care of the cat for now… And if my parents say no, then we'll just find it another home."

Cat Noir turned around with a beaming smile on his face. "Really? Thank you! The cats of Paris are forever indebted to you, young lady, as am I."

With careful gestures he handed the cat over to Marinette, who was immediately enraptured by the mismatched eyes. "What a lovely cat…" she spoke in awe. Then she glanced up at Cat Noir with more of a forgiving expression. "I'll take as good care of it as I possibly can."

He was still smiling at her, as he leaped away into the darkness, watching her cuddle the cat in her arms as he left.

 **A/N:** **Okay! Finally submitting what I've been working on. This was going to be a one shot, but then it turned into a multi-leveled story so… yeah. It'll be 5 to 8 chapters, though I'm definitely leaning towards 5. And the chapters should all be about as long as this one. Also; I'm currently participating in a family reunion/stress fest, so no new chapters until the weekend blows over. However, after that, they should come out pretty consistently, as long as I have enough time to write.**


	2. Chapter 2

Marinette stared down at the cat in her arms, who was staring back up at her. She sighed and whispered out to the sky, and also her very dear confidant. "What am I thinking?"

Tikki fluttered out from behind Marinette. The cat immediately focused its attention on her. "It's okay Marinette, it's just a cat. Besides, if your parents say you can't keep it, I'm sure you can find a good home for it."

Marinette sighed again and turned to go back down inside. "Yeah, but I should have just left it up to him. Ugh, even with _Cat Noir_ I can't say no," she shook her head, and once she made it to her room again, she beelined for her desk. "I'm gonna call Alya before I talk with my parents."

She set the cat down on her floor, who looked around wearily, stretched, and then caught it's eyes on Tikki again. As Marinette looked for her phone, which she had once again misplaced, the cat followed Tikki around with its eyes, who had fluttered over to Marinette's shoulder after she found her phone. "Wait, Marinette, before you call Alya, what are you going to tell her? That Cat Noir randomly gave you a cat?"

Marinette thought for a second. "I guess, given how much Alya's a fan of the superheroes of Paris, that telling her the full truth might not be the best idea. And I really couldn't tell my parents either. I'll just say I found it. On the roof. Or something."

Marinette began the call to Alya as Tikki flitted away. The young teenager rolled her chair around to face the rest of her room as she waited for Alya to pick up. She was watching the cat attempt to stalk Tikki when her best friend picked up on the other end.

"Marinette? This is later than you normally call. I'm trying to get homework done. There's a test in Chemistry on Thursday too."

"Yeah, I know Alya, I just wanted to get your advice on something."

Noticing Marinette's lack of direct attention to her phone screen, since this was a video call, Alya answered pointedly. "Alright, what is it then girl?"

Marinette glanced out towards the skinny white animal now stretched across her floor. "I… might have a cat."

Alya immediately perked up in curiosity. "A cat? How? And you better give me _all_ the details."

Marinette's mind darted around for a second before she answered. "Well, so, there was a cat on my roof, and I heard it pawing at the door, and I went out, and I just kinda let it in, and now I have a cat in my room…"

Alya ignored Marinette's sheepish expression. "Can you show it to me?"

"Uh, yeah," Marinette answered as she tilted her phone towards where the cat was laying half on the carpet, half on the wood floor, and seemingly already quite at home. Marinette voiced over this by continuing to talk about the cat. "It's just kinda skinny, and dirty, and obviously a stray, so I didn't want to make it go back outside. And now I don't know what to do."

Alya was too busy studying the cat to pay much attention to Marinette though. She could see that it was perfectly white under the layer of grime that covered it's coat, and as Marinette had tilted the camera in the direction of the cat, the creature took sudden interest in the phone and sauntered over, so that Alya could get a better look at its face and eyes. She could see slight hints of pale pink inside its ears and on its nose under the dirt, and the eyes, which were a crisp icy blue and a deep autumn orange, had speckles with deeper shades of each color throughout the iris.

"Marinette!" she remarked when her friend turned the phone back so that the two were looking at each other's faces. "You have to do whatever you can to keep that cat."

"Really?" Marinette asked in surprise.

"Yeah, that's one special cat. If you let some random person take care of it, or put it back on the streets, it'll never get the care it deserves. Something, like fate, brought that cat to you. Anyways, I'm sure you'll be great at taking care of a cat. It'll suit you. I mean you're always disappearing to do who knows what, and I doubt that it would mind." She gave a teasing smirk at the end to Marinette, who smiled humorlessly back.

Then the girl frowned again. "What about my parents? I don't know how in the world I'll convince them to let me have a cat."

Alya waved this aside. "Oh, come on girl! You can be really convincing if you try. I'm sure they'll let you keep the cat- your parents are rockstars."

"Okay…"

"Okay! Well, I have to go and finish up my homework. Good luck on having a cat! Tell me once you give it a name."

And with that, Alya hung up. Marinette stared at her screen for a second, and then slumped back in her chair, groaning ever so slightly.

Tikki flitted out from behind her computer with a tiny grin on her face. "So, I guess you're keeping the cat?"

Marinette gave the kwami a pointed look, and then sighed. "I guess I better go talk with my parents."

 **A/N: Right away, I would like to apologize for how long it took me to publish this. I didn't really get any time to write on my family vacation, and there was plenty to do when I got home. However, after this, there should be a consistent flow of chapters. Hopefully you'll enjoy this addition to the story. Also, I promise by next chapter (which will be a bit lengthier, probably) that the cat will get a name and gender finally.**


	3. Chapter 3

It had been a week since he had given Marinette the cat. In class, he had heard her and Alya talking about it, which relieved him. He had been slightly worried that Marinette would give up the cat or something, but luckily she had not. He decided to visit her, as Cat Noir of course, and check up on how she and the cat were doing. He thought that it might even be nice to hang out with her a bit, when she was less jumpy, like she often was at school.

Adrien was standing outside the school building, waiting for the main crowd of students to leave the premises. As he was watching the front door of the building, Plagg darted out from his hiding place. "This is boring! Why do you want to go visit that girl again?"

Adrien glared at the kwami. "Plagg! You're supposed to be hiding!"

Plagg grumbled his discontent and muttered something about nobody being there to see him. Adrien looked around to the front of the building and, seeing the lack of people, he grinned. "Alright Plagg, claws out!"

There was another groan from the little sprite as he was sucked into Adrien's ring and a green light absorbed the teenager. Moments later, Cat Noir was racing across the rooftops.

When he made it to Marinette's home, he saw her inside her room through the small window at the front of the house. She was just putting down her bag, and he rapped on the window three times. Once she saw him, he hopped up to the roof and waited for her to open the small door.

When she did, she had a slightly confused, and slightly cross look on her face. "What are you doing here? Do you have another cat for me? I won't take another stray. Sorry."

The superhero looked sheepish and held his hands out in front of his body. "Oh, no, I don't have any more cats for you. I was just wondering about how you and your new pet were doing… Mind if I come in?"

He smiled uncertainly as Marinette stared at him with her eyebrows furrowed. Suddenly she gave a sigh and waved him inside. "Fine, just don't make too much noise. My parents are downstairs."

Cat Noir followed Marinette awkwardly into her room, where she sat down, almost grumpily, on her chaise lounge. She stared at him once there, as he leaned against the ladder that led to her bed, once again awkwardly. It took him a moment to see that sitting next to her was the cat he brought, looking far more healthy and clean. It now had a pure, fluffy white coat and a ribbon around its neck that was bright and red. It lazily opened its stunning eyes to blink at him, and Cat Noir gasped.

"It looks so much better now!" he exclaimed.

"Him," Marinette replied primly.

"Huh?"

She elaborated. "It's a him. We learned that when my parents and I brought him into the vet. His name is now Sargent."

The superhero laughed and ambled slightly closer to the sofa. "I think it fits him."

Marinette smiled slightly. "Yes. The version of his name originally meant 'to serve', but I liked the spelling."

Cat Noir dared to creep closer, and slowly sat down beside Marinette, on the other side of the cat. He began to softly pet the little white creature, and as Sargent seemed to recognize the touch, he permitted it. "You know, I never did really, _truly_ , thank you for taking him in. I didn't have the option to adopt him myself, and I really didn't know anyone who would take care of a cat. It was a long shot, but I remembered you, who seemed like a caring individual who would take good care of an animal. So really, truly, thank you."

Marinette glanced at him, and her overall opposed demeanour softened. "Oh, it's really nothing at all now. I'm actually glad you brought him to me. I really enjoy his company. When I first told my friend about him, she said that he was truly a special, valuable cat, brought to my doorstep by fate. I think I agree with her. He's a good companion, and he gives me inspiration."

Marinette's expression towards Cat Noir switched to slight, quizzical confusion as a wide grin stretched across his face. "Well, I'm glad I could be the fate that helped bring you and Sargent together."

For a bit longer, he and Marinette chatted. It was mostly about Sargent, who seemed bored of their conversation, yet pleased that it involved him. However, some of what they spoke of turned to Marinette's life. She seemed hesitant to share, and yet, Adrien learned more personal details about her in those few moments then he had in a week of class with her. He left more than a half an hour later, sure that his father might be close to wondering about where he had been. Or maybe his absence would be unnoted. Either way, he was glad of the time he spent with Marinette.

As was she.

After he left, Marinette almost immediately turned to Tikki, likely because the kwami was so quickly at her shoulder. "Well?" Tikki asked, drawn out, with a slight smile on her face.

Marinette gave her a look. "I know that when he first arrived, I groaned, but he's alright. I _do_ fight crime with him, you know. I can't hate him too much. Also, he wasn't making puns or joking as much as he normally does. And it's nice that he cares about Sargent." Marinette picked up the young cat as she mentioned him. He had gotten used to her coddling already, though his face would always be either slightly peeved, or completely focused on the strange bug that floated at Marinette's shoulder.

Tikki was still smiling. "I'm just glad that you can get to know your teammate better. Maybe he'll come visit again."

Marinette had wandered over to the larger window that was near the ladder to her bed. She looked out of it, half expecting to see Cat Noir on the rooftops across the way. He was not there, but it did not bother her. "Maybe…"

 **A/N: Okay guys, I know I said that updates would be pretty regular from here on out, but this fanfic is going in a slightly different direction than first anticipated, and so I have to change some stuff. I'm also going on a vacation again and I'm not going to have a lot of time for writing. So I'll be gone for a few days, but when I come back, I should have the rest of the chapters up before the end of summer. Thanks for the patience, seeya guys later, and hope you enjoyed this addition. Your support is awesome.**


	4. Chapter 4

A week later, Cat Noir was once again standing on her doorstep, or rather her roof. He was slightly bashful. "Sorry I keep on showing up here. I just really like cats."

She was less annoyed. "Uh, it's okay. As long as I know it's going to be a regular thing."

They sat on the floor and Sargent decided that he wanted to climb on Mount Noir to show his superiority.

Marinette giggled. "Do you still like cats as much?"

The superhero just returned the laughter. "I guess I now know why some people are so annoyed by me."

It was a shorter visit, he only stayed for half an hour. At the end, he asked if he could come more again. Against what Marinette called her "better judgment", she said yes.

When Cat Noir returned, it was a week later, once again. Adrien had a slight argument with Plagg right before, more brought on by Plagg's disinterest than anything else.

 _"It's not what the miraculous is meant for."_

 _"Does it really matter?"_

They had a longer, more personable conversation this time, and she seemed far more open than before and more easygoing than at school.

"What's your favorite color?"

Marinette frowned. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, you said you like design. There's color in that. And you seem to wear pink a lot."

"Pink is probably my favorite color then. I think I like deep blue too. If we're on the subject, what colors do you like?"

It was his turn to frown. "I don't really know. Probably green. I like light blue and deep red too."

"Like blood?" she asked in obliviousness.

"Not really. Do you like flowers?"

The conversation lasted longer than the first or the second. In the morning, at school, Marinette forgot her work and Adrien fell asleep halfway through history class.

The next week, Cat Noir saw no Marinette. Instead, he met with Ladybug, as they took down an akumatized car salesman. She still went head to head with him, and groaned at his puns, but it almost seemed like she was friendlier, and less put off by his flirting.

The next day, when he met with Marinette, he was lively, happy, and talkative. Sargent was in no mood for the constant cuddling, and instead was gazing around the room, looking for that red, fluttering insect that disappeared from sight too often. Marinette, on the other hand, was noticing Cat Noir's mood, and she was smart enough to connect it with the events of the previous afternoon.

 **A/N: Hey guys, I'm back! 'Took a bit longer than expected, but the final chapters will be posted tomorrow, hopefully, as will a quick overview of my writing plan. Hope you enjoyed this shorter and faster-paced chapter, and see you soon. (By the way, thanks for the reviews and follows and favorites and stuff. It's really awesome.)**


	5. Chapter 5

"I… have to go," Cat Noir bit out in the comfortable silence. Another week had flown by, and he was here again, though their time spent together had seemingly flown by too.

Marinette could not help but feel slightly disappointed. "Okay. You'll be coming next week though, right?"

"Of course Mari, if you'll have me." It was the second time he used the nickname that night. She made no outer reaction the first time he said it, so she supposed he decided to stick with it.

She smiled brightly. "Of course."

Sargent seemed to not wish for the black-clad superhero to leave either though, since he started pawing at Cat Noir's arm and mewing. Or maybe he just wanted dinner.

Cat Noir chuckled and stood up. Soon he was on the roof and swinging away, as Marinette watched him go.

Tikki popped up on her shoulder and smiled almost knowingly. "I think _you_ have a conundrum."

Marinette blushed ever so slightly and then waved the kwami away. "I have to finish up my homework," she gave as a horrible excuse.

The next day was Monday, which meant school, and a test she was not entirely ready to take. Afterwards, at lunch, her and Alya talked about the normal things.

"So, how's Snowball?" Alya questioned with a grin.

Marinette shot her a look. "Alya, you know I named him Sargent, right?" She sighed slightly with a smile as her best friend giggled. "He's fine. He's still a butt about only getting two meals a day. If I don't give him a cat treat after dinner, his meowing will keep me up all night."

Alya laughed again. "I guess he sure is commanding. So, in other news… why aren't you moaning over Adrien anymore?"

Marinette went stiff and slowly glanced across the room to where Adrien and Nino were sitting with a few other friends. A slight blush still slowly crept up her cheeks every time she looked at him, but she felt less awkward around him, and less obsessed. "What do you mean?"

Alya gave her a knowing look. "Girl, I run a blog focused on the superheroes of Paris. Do you think I wouldn't be able to notice your lack of fawning over the boy you have a crush on, when you normally do it every day?"

Marinette grumbled to herself inside her own head. _"There are still_ some _things you haven't figured out."_

Seeing that Marinette seemed uninclined to answer, and also seeing that lunch was almost over, Alya decided to put the conversation to rest for the moment. "Whatever. But don't think I won't be questioning you again. You know I'm persistent."

With that, Alya left the table and Marinette, who was now free to wallow in her thoughts for a few moments more. It was true, she had been less mopey about her crush on Adrien. It was not that she had lost feeling for him, it was just that it seemed like her crush had faded a bit, and she had seen him more clearly. Adrien, of course, was not a bad person. He was just an oblivious one. She had realized that now. Every time she had stumbled over her words around him, or stared incessantly, she saw him brush it off. He seemed to not care. And not necessarily in a good way.

After school, Marinette flopped down on her lounge in her room. She was still thinking about what Alya had said about her feelings for Adrien. Both Sargent, who was meowing, and Tikki, who was fluttering, seemed worried about her. "What's wrong Marinette?" the kwami asked worriedly.

"I _do_ have a conundrum," Marinette groaned and flipped from lying on her stomach to lying on her back so she could look eye to eye with the little fluttering bug.

Tikki simply waited for Marinette to elaborate.

As Marinette slowly sat up, she spoke. "Well, we all know I have a crush on Adrien. But… I'm beginning to think that Cat Noir might have a crush on me- that is to say, Ladybug."

Tikki gave a slight frown. "Yes. It was a bit obvious. But that doesn't stop you from liking Adrien instead, right?"

"Yeah, but I really don't think he likes me back! There's no chance for us that I see, Tikki. So I don't know what to do. At first, I thought Cat Noir was just a silly jokester with too many puns who flirts with everyone. But he's just as kind and sweet as Adrien underneath it all. I don't want to hurt him if I reject him."

Tikki thought for a few moments as Marinette stared off into the distance, petting Sargent who had curled up next to her. Finally the kwami responded to Marinette's worries. "I guess the thing for you to do is finally confront Adrien. You won't know how he truly feels until you ask."

Marinette thought for a few moments. Then she sighed. "Okay."


	6. Chapter 6

It was Friday. Marinette had been off and on about talking with Adrien the whole week. It went from not being able to find the right time, to being too nervous. She was sure she never would have been able to ask him face to face before, though even now the outcome worried her. In her head, it was as if she would be giving up a great part of her life, and opportunity for love. It was more likely that she had just been prolonging it for the sake of false bliss. But it was the end of the week, and for some reason, she felt oddly prepared for whatever would come. So when the final class of the day ended, she rather smoothly slipped away from Alya and approached where he was standing, fortunately alone.

"Uh… A-Adrien?" she asked meekly.

Right away, the boy turned his bright eyes to hers. "Yes, Marinette?"

"I, uh, this is going to sound a little weird, but umm…. Uh…." She searched widely for some phrase that would dampen the embarrassment, and quickly plucked one from her brain, "I'm actually asking for a distant friend, so, uh do you have like a crush on anyone, or…."

Her mouth had stopped really working, but fortunately Adrien had gotten the gist of her question. "Uh, sorry Marinette, but I actually do have a sorta crush on someone. Tell your friend I apologize, and I hope they're able to find someone else. Uh, sorry again."

Marinette's face had turned a deep shade of pink and she backed up slowly. "Oh no, it's fine, it was a weird thing to ask, I kinda thought you had someone else, so yeah, bye."

As she made her way backwards back to Alya, she ran into Nino. "Sorry!" she squeaked out and then scurried away.

Nino gave her a curious glance. "Yo, Adrien, what's up with Marinette?"

Adrien gaze was stuck on Marinette, who was having a quiet conversation with Alya, her friend's face slowly becoming more and more sympathetic. "I don't really know. She randomly asked me if I had a crush on anyone."

"Oh…." Nino gave a knowing look as he followed Adrien's line of sight to Marinette.

Marinette walked home slowly. In truth, she did not feel as horrible as she thought she would. She was still disappointed, but there were a ton of fish in the sea, right? And her mind kept leading her back to one who was indeed as sweet and kind as Adrien.

Suddenly, Tikki popped up from inside Marinette's purse. "Marinette, I just want to know, _are_ you alright? I know you told Alya you were, but you've had a crush on Adrien for as long as I've been your kwami."

Marinette stopped and looked down at Tikki's sympathetic face. She smiled softly. "Yes, I'm fine Tikki. I was expecting it. Anyways, at least I won't be hanging on to something that's fiction anymore. I can look for other people."

Two days more, and Cat Noir was walking along the rooftops, making his way to Marinette's house. Suddenly a voice came from above him and to the left.

"You visit her a lot, don't you?"

He blinked and swerved his attention to the owner of the voice. "M'Ladybug! What are you doing out here?"

Ladybug smiled and skidded down from the very top of the roof to stand by his side. "I'm just patrolling a bit. It's a nice afternoon. Just so you know, I passed by where that Marinette lives. There was a note taped to the roof trapdoor. She said she was gone for the evening."

"Oh…" Cat Noir couldn't help but feel slightly crestfallen.

"I'm sorry you aren't able to hang out with her. But… would you like to patrol with me for the afternoon, Cat? A little boring, I know, but I could use the company."

The green-eyed superhero suddenly perked up. "Why, of course M'Lady! I would be honored to accompany you."

His Lady smiled at him. Soft, sweet, compassionate, _loving_ , so unlike any smile he had gotten before.

It reminded him of another smile.

 **A/N: I know, it's quite an ambiguous ending, but that's how I like to end short fics, and I also don't want this once getting out of hand, especially when I have plenty of other stuff waiting to be written. Now, it's getting very close to school for me, so I'd like to map out my plan for you guys. I'm going to be less active during the school year, that's for sure, but I'm definitely going to try to write as much as possible. So far my vague plan is to write every weekend, which means every couple weekends I'll be posting a chapter to a story. This plan will be pretty fluid, but once I get into the school year, I'll likely be able to give a more solid layout of what/when I'll be writing. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed Mari's Cat!**


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